Let the Circle Be Unbroken
by Ryan Brooklyn
Summary: Movie-verse. OOTP. After the mass punishment by Professor Umbridge, Angela does her best to help Dumbledore’s Army using a remedy Luna created. Slight Fred/Angie/George if you squint and tilt your head.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I watched OOTP with my sister and got an idea for this little ficlet. I really miss Angela, so I jumped at a chance to write for her again. XD Don't worry though, I am in the process of writing a new chapter of **_**Altus Vicis, Ferreus Vicis**_**.**

**Disclaimer: **_The only character I own is Angela Barry. None of the rest I do._

**Genre: **Friendship/Slight Angst

**Rating: **PG-ish I suppose

**Summary:** Movie-verse. OOTP. After the mass punishment by Professor Umbridge, Angela does her best to help Dumbledore's Army using a remedy Luna created. Slight Fred/Angie/George if you squint and tilt your head.

* * *

**Let the Circle Be Unbroken**

My hand hurt. Badly. I flexed it several times, looking down at the words as tears pricked the corner of my eyes. I hated that Umbridge woman. Completely and utterly hated her. Cho was on her bed, sobbing. I suppose it was because she was the one that told on us. I suppose I should have been a good friend and gone to comfort her, but I was in too much pain and at the moment I didn't mind blaming her either.

Luna approached me; she was cradling her hand and the sight of sweet Luna hurt like that made me even angrier.

"Angela," she said softly. "I believe I've concocted a potion that will help with the pain. It was one of my mother's old experiments. Daddy says I shouldn't, but I couldn't help myself this time." She handed me a small vial. "Three drops should do," she said with a vague smile. "It won't make it go away, but the pain will lessen. See? Mine already feels better." She lifted her hand to my face and I winced at the fiery red letters that adorned her lily-white hand.

"I'll try it," I said, holding out my burning hand and dripping the liquid from the vial onto the words. It burned worse for a second before dulling to a gentle ache. I flexed my hand again. "Thanks Luna," I said, looking up to smile at her gratefully.

"You're welcome," she answered with a tilt of her head. "I believe Neville's in the library," she informed me, before turning and skipping off.

I blinked for a moment before I realized what she was saying. I slid off the bed and hurried out of the Ravenclaw house and toward the library.

Neville was huddled over a book on herbology, hiding his hurt hand in his robes. I sat down next to him.

"Neville," I said gently. "Let me see your hand."

He hunched forward farther and glanced over at me quickly. "Why?" he asked hesitantly.

I smiled slightly, placing my hand comfortingly on his back. "I have something that will help with the pain," I explained.

He stared at me a moment longer before straightening and slowly holding out his scarred hand to me. I opened the vial and dropped three drops onto the letters. He hissed and drew back his hand quickly, but I saw his face smooth out as the potion worked its magic.

"Thanks Angela," he said softly, looking up at me with a slight smile.

"You're welcome, Neville," I answered, resting my hand on his head briefly before standing and turning to leave.

"Wait," Neville said, standing. "The others are in the common room; I'll take you."

I smiled gratefully and he led me to the Gryffindor tower. However once we got there he scratched his head in a perplexed manner. I raised my eyebrows.

"Forgot the password?" I offered.

"No!" he said quickly, even though his blush betrayed him. I sighed.

"It's okay, Neville. I'll find them later."

"Find who?" Seamus Finnigan's unmistakable Irish brogue sounded from behind us.

"Harry, Hermione, and the rest," I offered, glancing down at his hand. He saw me looking and scowled, hiding his hand behind his back.

"I'll open the door," he declared, stepping forward and saying the password. The door opened and we walked inside. He turned to go up to the boy's dormitory but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Seamus, let me see your hand," I said, releasing his arm in order to hold my hand out to him. He looked at me warily.

"It's okay Seamus," Neville interjected. "She has something that helps."

The Irish boy lifted his hand to me. "I didn't sign up for this you know," he muttered. "I wanted to learn how to fight for Dumbledore, not tear up my hand with bloody writing."

I winced sympathetically as I took his hand and poured the required three drops over his hand. He grimaced but kept still as the pain began to ease. He looked up at me and flushed slightly.

"Thanks," he murmured, turning and moving away.

Neville led me over to where Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in front of their fireplace. They were all quiet, which was strange, staring into the flames. They were all cradling their hurt hands.

"I've brought something to help," I said, holding up the vial and stepping up to them.

Harry looked up and gave me a small, grateful smile, holding out his hand trustingly. Hermione did the same, watching me curiously. Ron glanced at the other two than stuck out his hand as well. I poured the concoction over the letters and they all hissed as the pain flared and then dimmed.

"Thanks, Angela," Harry said, giving me another smile. Ron nodded in agreement to Harry's words.

Hermione was looking at me. "Where did you get that?" she asked. "I don't think it's in any of our school books."

"Luna made it," I said, smiling and moving on to a small boy sniveling in the corner. I recognized him vaguely as Nigel somebody. Anyway he was in Dumbledore's Army and so I administered the potion. Straightening, I looked around for Fred and George, wondering where they were seeing as I had not seen or heard them yet. I finished with the Gryffindor members of the Army before thanking Neville for letting me in (even though it was actually Seamus who said the password), and leaving.

I found Hannah Abbott in the main corridor and asked her to take me to the Hufflepuff House, keeping an eye out for the Weasley twins. I hesitated briefly before stepping into the House. The place reminded me so much of when I would come there with Cedric. We would sit on the couch, my ear over his heart, and talk about our respective summers. My chest ached as soon as I stepped into the common room, but I pushed aside my feelings in order to focus those Hufflepuffs who were a part of Dumbledore's Army.

Once I was done there, and duly thanked (as well as asked to thank Luna as well for them), I left in search for Fred and George. I found Draco Malfoy instead. I quickly hid the vial in one of my robe's inner pockets.

"Barry." He spat the name out as if it tasted bad. I simply waited. Crabbe and Goyle flanked him, as usual. "What are you doing sneaking about at this hour?"

I glanced at my watch. "It's hardly seven o' clock, Malfoy," I told him, giving him a rather contemptuous look.

He scowled and reached forward, grabbing my hand and pulling me closer, inspecting the back of it and the scar there. I glowered at him.

"You'd better be careful who you hang about with," he warned me. "You never know when something nasty might come of it." He lifted my hand to my face as if to show me the scar. I refused to look at it and stared into his face instead.

"Are you quite finished?" I asked icily. He held my hand for a moment longer before dropping it abruptly. I quickly hid it behind my back.

"Just watch your back, Barry," he finally said, pushing past me roughly. Crabbe and Goyle followed him, giving me a long, hard look as they did. I stared back at them and then turned to lean against the cold stone wall of the hallway. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It was hard, seeing Draco around after we had broken up. It was even harder to talk to him.

I flexed my hand slowly, remembering the feel of Draco holding it. It brought back memories. Memories that were now painful. I clenched my jaw tightly.

"I say, you're looking a bit ill."

I opened my eyes to see Fred and George standing in front of me. I gave them a slight smile. "I'm fine," I said, pushing off the wall and stepping up to them. "I was actually looking for you."

They exchanged a glance and then looked back at me. I reached into my robe and pulled out the vial.

"What's that then?" they asked in unison.

"It's to help with the pain," I explained, showing them my hand. They both stared at the angry scar for a moment before holding out their hands simultaneously. I administered the potion and when the pain eased they grinned at me.

"You're an angel," they said.

I froze slightly before giving them a weak smile in return. George caught on to the mood change faster than Fred did.

"What's the matter?" he asked, stepping forward and slinging his arm around my shoulder. "Didn't you give it to yourself?" He picked up my hand and looked at it before offering it to Fred as if to see what he thought.

I had to smile slightly as Fred inspected my hand. "No, no, it's not that. It's just that . . . Cedric used to call me his angel."

"Ahhhh," came the response from the boys.

"We understand, Angie," George said, giving my shoulder a slight squeeze.

Fred stroked the back of my hurt hand with his thumb. "He was right though. I mean, it even fits with your name. Angel. Angela. It's about as close to it as you can get." He grinned at me.

I slowly grinned back. "That's part of the reason why he called me that," I admitted.

"Brilliant fellow," George said.

I gave them both a grateful smile as I once more pocketed the vial. "Well, I got everyone in Dumbledore's Army; I should go back to my House now. It's getting late."

"We'll escort you," they chorused. They offered their arms and I looped my through theirs.

"I gotta hand it to you Weasleys," I said, looking up at the both of them. "You do know how to cheer a girl up."

"Our pleasure," they said, grinning.

When we arrived at the Ravenclaw House, I answered the portrait's question and then turned to the Weasley twins. "Thanks for walking me back," I said, giving each of them a hug. "And for your words. They helped."

"Thanks again for the potion." Fred and George placed a hand on each of my shoulders, squeezing them encouragingly. Glancing around furtively, Fred leaned close to my ear.

"Keep an eye on the skies during the Fifth Years' OWLs," he whispered.

"You'll be in for a great surprise," George added with a wink.

"What do you—" but the boys were gone before I could finish my question. Sighing and shaking my head, I turned and entered the common room. Luna was there, reading her magazine upside-down as usual. I handed her the vial.

"Did you get everyone?" she asked me in a vague sort of way. She slowly moved her eyes from the words of the magazine to look up at me.

"Yes," I replied.

"Mmm. Good." She returned to whatever she was reading and I made my way to our room. Cho was there, sitting on the bed, her hands clasped tightly together. I didn't want to talk to her, but something told me that I had been there and comforted every single member of Dumbledore's Army. I couldn't leave Cho out, even if she had ratted us out. The circle that connected us could not be broken.

I sat down beside her. She sniffed piteously. I remained silent, waiting for her to speak first.

"I didn't want to do it," she said, and let out a soft sob. "She forced me to. That dreadful Umbridge woman. She made me tell her about the Room of Requirement. I didn't want to, honest I didn't!" She began to cry again.

My heart softened and I placed my arm around her shoulders. "It's okay Cho," I murmured softly. "I forgive you. I don't know about the others, but please believe me when I say that _I_ believe you and that _I_, at least, forgive you."

She looked up at me with watery eyes. "You do?" she asked softly, incredulously.

I nodded and held her tighter. "You're my best friend, Cho. And I know you would not do anything to hurt Dumbledore's Army intentionally."

"No, I wouldn't," she said with a sigh.

"Good. Now get some rest. It's late."

Cho gave me a weak smile and nodded. I stood and made my way to my chest, getting out my pajamas and laying it across the bed. Luna wandered in just as I was buttoning the last button of the shirt.

"Was that the Weasley twins who brought you back?" she asked dreamily, tilting her head slightly and studying me with wide eyes. I blinked.

"Yeah, why?" I answered.

"Mmmm," she murmured thoughtfully, before she turned and left. I frowned after her in confusion.

"What was that all about?" I asked, looking over at Cho. She shrugged helplessly.

I crawled into bed, still frowning over Luna's words and her reaction to my answer. What had she been thinking: asking that question? Deciding now was not a good time to try and puzzle out what went on in Luna Lovegood's mind, I laid down and fell asleep.

* * *

**Well, that's it! I promise to do my best to have the next chapter of AVFV up soon. In the meantime, review and tell me what you think of this! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: After much debate with myself, I decided to write another, somewhat related fic as an extension of the other one. You can thank ktkakes for it. ;P It ended up really, really long too, lol. This takes place during HBP. Enjoy! **

**

* * *

**I awoke screaming. Cho shot out of the bed and hurried over to me.

"What is it? Are you okay?"

I panted heavily, wiping sweat from my face. "It was only a dream," I reassured her. She sat down on my bed and looked over at me intently.

"The same one?" she asked, searching my eyes with her own.

I nodded, fingering the end of my pajama shirt. Cho sighed and fingered her hair absently.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked finally, glancing over at me. I looked over to where Luna was peacefully sleeping. I realized suddenly that I didn't want to talk to Cho about my dream. I had before and she had not comforted me very well, no offense to her. Of course it did not help that I couldn't tell her the main reason for the reoccurring nightmare.

"I-I think I'll just go out and sit in the common room for a while," I said, getting out of bed and going to out to sit on the couch. I pulled my legs up to my chest and looked around at the gigantic bookshelf that lined all four walls of the common room. It was full of books and I smiled slightly at the sight of them. Then I turned my face to the fireplace, staring into the flames, doing my best not to shrink from them.

A couple Ravenclaws were still awake, getting some last minute studying done. I thought about my dream.

It was always the same one. Ever since I had found out that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater, I'd been having nightmares about him killing my friends at You-Know-Who's command. I didn't really think he would have the guts to kill anyone, but just the thought of it frightened me.

I realized that I needed Fred and George. They were always ready with a joke or something to cheer me up. But they had left the school during my Sixth year. Sure, it was rather spectacular and it served that Umbridge woman right, but they left. They left without any warning. Without any goodbye. They were always the best person to go to in order to be cheered up. And now they were gone. They hadn't even sent me any letters, being too busy setting up shop in Diagon Alley.

I rested my chin on my knees. Christmas break was starting soon and I would go home to mother. The Weasleys lived not far from where we did, but I needed them _now_. With a sigh I got up and returned to bed. Gloomy thoughts hung around my head as I drifted off to sleep.

0000000

I arrived home loaded with presents for Mum and the Weasleys (if they decided to invite us over for Christmas again). When I opened the door and lugged my baggage in, I was surprised to see my Muggle neighbor Mrs. Croft standing in our kitchen making a casserole.

"Um, Mrs. Croft?" I said hesitantly, looking around the house. "What are you doing here? Where's Mum?"

Mrs. Croft's eyes filled with tears and she hurried over to me, wrapping her arms around me. "I'm so sorry, dear," she said, sobs breaking her voice. "I tried to contact you, I truly did. But I couldn't find you anywhere!"

I pulled away and looked at her, a feeling of dread building up in me. "Mrs. Croft, what happened? Where's my mother?"

"I'm afraid . . . she's passed away." Mrs. Croft looked at me through sorrowful eyes. I felt a whoosh of air leave my body and I sagged against the wall. The world swam in front of my eyes and I could barely feel Mrs. Croft's arms around me as she began to comfort me. I didn't hear her words, nor remember when I ended up on the couch. The next thing I knew, I was holding a cup of cocoa and Mrs. Croft was sitting beside me.

"She had a stroke," she was explaining. "I had been stopping by to check on her every now and then, her foot kept swelling up, you see, and one day she didn't answer the door." She gasped on a sob and stopped, pressing a hand to her mouth.

I stared down into my cup, feeling numb. Slowly, I turned to Mrs. Croft and excused myself to my room where I cried myself to sleep, clutching my locket which my mother had given me.

00000000

Ginny held my hand tightly throughout the funeral service held at my house. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there, as well as Ron, Fred, and George. Mrs. Weasley sat on my other side and patted my free hand as she dabbed at her eyes with a large, white handkerchief. I only glanced at the twins once or twice and when I did, I found I could not look at them for long.

I found I was angry at them. All this anger, hurt, sadness, and confusion about Malfoy, my mother's death, their abandoning me, piled up and I threw it all at them in my mind. They deserved it, for leaving like they did. I had no one to pour all this out on. Cho was there, but I had to walk on eggshells around her nowadays. The slightest thing that reminded her of Harry or Cedric sent her into tears. And I couldn't be the comforter this time. I needed to be comforted.

After the service, I excused myself from everyone, heading outside and to the small lake on our property. I held myself tightly as I stared off across the water. I didn't have many relatives, so the reception was small. Even so, I didn't want to be around to be pitied.

I heard two persons approach from behind. I knew who it was but didn't turn to greet them. They stepped up, one on either side of me. I continued to ignore them the best I could.

"Blimey, Angie," one of them muttered. It was hard to tell which one by just their voices. However that was enough to set the tears to rolling down my cheeks. I tried my best to stifle them, but they came anyway. I buried my face in my hands and I felt their arms go around me. I let myself relax in the embrace for a moment before tearing away suddenly.

"Don't," I said, stepping back onto the thin ice of the lake and pointing my finger at them. "Just don't."

They exchanged a look that I couldn't read and that just made me angrier.

"What's wrong?" George asked, frowning slightly at my reaction to their attempted comfort.

"Don't ask that!" I cried (growing rather hysterical I'm embarrassed to say). "Don't you _dare_ ask that! You don't know a _thing _about what I've been going through this year. You were never _there_. You don't know what's bloody wrong, because you were never _there_." I glared at them.

Fred looked at me incredulously. "This is because we left last year?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. George looked equally shocked.

"I _needed_ you," I whispered, staring at the ground. "And you weren't there."

"Bloody hell, Angie," George murmured.

"We didn't know," Fred said lamely.

I continued staring at the ground. "No, you didn't," I forced out from behind gritted teeth. There was a pause and then the two stepped forward, wrapping their arms around me once more. I let them this time, being too upset and feeling rather weak to fight the comfort they were trying to give. I rested my head on Fred's chest and reached down to grasp George's hands that were clasped around my waist. Fred stroked my hair gently as I sobbed onto his sweater.

"Why didn't you tell us?" George asked mournfully.

"It's not the same in a letter," I said, my voice slightly muffled as I got a mouthful of gaudy colored cotton. "I need you _there_. For this." I buried my face deeper into Fred's chest, hoping he would get the message. As his arms tightened around me, I think he did.

"Sorry Angie," Fred muttered, and I did my best to calm myself. I hated falling apart like this, especially in front of friends as that somehow got me embarrassed. I pulled away finally and wiped at my face, stepping away from both boys in order to collect myself. I stood with my back turned to them, taking deep, slow breaths.

"We didn't think . . . of that," George offered.

I turned slightly to glance sidelong at them. "Obviously," I said, colder than I had meant to. I gave a slight shiver; the tears on my face were freezing to my cheeks and giving my body chills. Although I was not exactly certain that it was the cold that was making me shake. I felt a hand rest on my back and shied away.

"Angie . . ." I heard Fred's murmured plea as if from far away.

"Please," I said abruptly. "I know there's no way you can come back to Hogwarts. You'd be graduated by now anyway. Still, you could have kept in contact." I fixed them both with a pointed frown, before turning and walking away into the trees. I ignored their voices calling me back.

I wandered around the woods for quite a while. I soon forgot what time it was and ignored the fact that people were waiting for me back at my house. I felt exhausted from my breakdown and soon I curled up under a tree to get some rest.

When I awoke it was pitch black. I sat up quickly, looking around me fearfully. A flash of light startled me and I cried out before I realized it was just lightning. A roll of thunder sounded from the west. I stood shakily, wondering where I was. I was disoriented and I realized that I had wandered farther than I had meant to. Nothing around me looked familiar. I bit my lip before a whimper could escape. Another crash of thunder sounded and suddenly rain began to drench me from head to toe. I scooted back under the tree, until I looked up and saw how tall it was. Tall enough for lightning to strike it, I realized.

Scurrying away, I braved the freezing water to try and find my way back home. It wasn't cold enough for snow, but it was cold none the less. A crack sounded to my left and instinct drove me to the right. However the branch that had been split by the lightning connected rather harshly on the back of my head, despite my efforts to get away. I lay there in a daze for a moment, the world spinning and swirling around me.

Struggling to my feet, I staggered away, realizing I needed to get out of the trees. I found a small burrow that some animal had made and crawled inside of it, out of the rain and sleet, for it had turned colder in the wind. I huddled there, shivering violently.

I felt something touch my shoulder and I jumped, thinking the seemingly abandoned hole wasn't so abandoned after all. However when I turned to the side I saw no one. When I faced forward again, I came nose to nose with Cedric Diggory. I gave a strangled yelp and pressed my back against the dirt wall behind me.

"How—you—and—what?"

"Calm down, Angela," Cedric said calmingly, holding up his hands and giving me that smile which I had longed to see again for so long. "I'm not really here. You hit your head pretty hard when that branch fell on you."

"So . . . I'm hallucinating?" I choked, unable to believe that he was sitting there across from me.

He laughed. "You don't need to sound so horrified. Things like this happen."

I reached out towards him, sliding my fingers over his cheek. "How come I can touch you?" I whispered. Cedric shrugged.

"This is all in your mind. If you want to touch me, you can touch me. But right now you need to keep warm. Do you have anything to make a small fire? It's going to get cold in here."

I looked around as he spoke, spotting some dry leaves and twigs near the back of the hole in what appeared to be an abandoned nest. I pushed the pile towards the front and pulled out my wand, whispering a spell to set the pile on fire, glad I was now seventeen and allowed to perform magic outside of school.

I lay down on my stomach, folding my arms and resting my chin on them. Cedric lay beside me. I turned to look at him. "Will you stay?" I asked softly, feeling sleepy all of a sudden. He frowned.

"Only if you stay awake. Please, Angela, for me."

I reached toward him, about to say that I would try, but my eyes closed unwillingly and I began to drift off.

"Honestly, Barry, how like a girl. So weak." That was Draco Malfoy's voice. My eyes snapped open and I sat up suddenly, hitting my head on top of the burrow. I grimaced and rubbed my already sore head.

"Malfoy! What are _you_ doing here?" I scowled at him.

"Your subconscious conjured me, I suspect," he replied with a knowing smirk.

"And why in the world would my subconscious do _that_?" I demanded, crossing my arms and deepening my frown despite the headache that motion caused.

"I guess your brain knows that my presence would help you stay awake. You obviously can never take your eyes off me." He smirked again and I growled in annoyance.

"I loathe you," I stated flatly.

"Humph. The feeling's mutual, I'm sure," Malfoy retorted with a frown. "I must say however," he continued, his face softening into a sardonic smile. "You look lovely with your hair matted to your face, full of dirt and blood."

"Argh, leave me alone," I snapped, turning away from him. There was a pause and then I felt his hands sliding over my shoulders and down my arms, his breath warm on my neck. Involuntarily a shiver ran up my spine.

"Now you know I can't do that," he breathed into my ear, and a soft chuckle sounded as he felt me shake beneath his touch.

"It's just the cold," I retorted, scooting farther away from him and nearer the fire. I just about hated my subconscious right about then.

"Don't be so touchy, Barry," Malfoy said, sounding annoyed. "Or would you rather your precious Cedric was here?"

"Yes, actually, I would," I said stiffly. I kept my gaze straight ahead and tried to ignore Malfoy's very close presence behind me.

"Fine, but just remember that you'd never get this out of your Cedric." I felt Malfoy's lips press against the side of my neck and I gritted my teeth tightly, hating the fact that he was right. Cedric never had loved me the way I had loved him. Our first kiss happened after he was dead. How unromantic was that?

"You have to admit, this is making you feel warmer at least," Malfoy said with another malicious chuckle as he pushed the hair off my neck gently and pressed his lips once more to my cold skin.

"Stop it," I murmured, closing my eyes and finding myself leaning back against him. His arms encircled my waist.

"Stay awake now Barry, or I might have to do something drastic."

My eyes shot open and I straightened like a bow after its arrow had been released. Malfoy laughed at my reaction. "Relax," he said. "I was just going to tickle you."

"Not reassuring," I muttered, placing my hands on his which were still resting on my stomach.

"You know those Weasleys probably won't find you until this storm is over, right?" Malfoy asked. "They're so stupid. They probably couldn't find their way around their own house in a storm."

I clenched my fingers around his tightly until he complained and pulled away from me. I turned in order to face him. "Shut up," I told him viciously, scowling. "The twins would never leave me alone out here."

"After the way you treated them? I wouldn't be surprised if they left you out here to die." He smirked again.

"No! That's not true! They're my friends, they care about me. They'll find me."

"Keep thinking that, Barry. Maybe it'll come true. Just don't expect it any time soon. Like I said, they probably think you're fine. They're too stupid to think you might be stuck out here."

That was enough from him. I reached out and slapped him hard across the face. He just laughed. I hit him again and that cut off his laughter. He scowled at me. "Mean," he spat, scooting back out of range. Now it was my turn to smirk.

"You're pathetic, Malfoy," I said, turning away from him again.

It took a while but soon Malfoy disappeared like Cedric had. I felt my eyelids droop then, the fire had died down to a low gleam. The rain had not abated however, and the pain in my head kept throbbing. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I thought of my mother. I wanted her so bad. She would have found me by now and we would be curled up on the couch, drinking hot chocolate and laughing about how I had gotten lost in our own property. The ache in my chest deepened and spread and my body wracked with sobs. Finally they died away and my eyes closed. Quietly, I drifted into unconsciousness.

0000000

"ANGIE!"

The cry caused me to awaken with a start. The rain had slowed, although it was still falling, but I could hear someone call my name through the sound of the wind and thunder. It was one of the Weasley twins, I could tell that from my nickname. Using as much strength as I could, I dragged myself out of the burrow and stumbled out into the downpour, shielding my eyes with my hand as I searched around me for the source of the voice. The pain in my head and lessened, but the throbbing continued and I felt weak. Very weak.

"Angie!"

This time the voice was right behind me. I turned and found myself looking up into Fred's wonderful, beautiful face. I gave a soft cry that ended in a sob as I flung myself at him, nearly knocking him over.

I clung to him tightly, blubbering into his already soakings sweater. He wrapped his arms around me and I could hear his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"Bloody hell, Angie, never do that to us again," he muttered. Through my almost delirious state however, I thought I heard him use the word "me" instead of "us."

"Angie!" George's voice sounded from behind Fred, and I peeled myself away to look around the first twin to see the second one. Behind him was the rest of the Weasley clan with Mrs. Croft. Mrs. Weasley gave a cry of relief and ran to crush me into a tight hug.

I realized as I looked over her shoulder at Mrs. Croft that I was still holding my wand. Fred noticed at the same time I did and swiftly snatch it from my hand. Mr. Weasley came forward holding an umbrella and held it over me.

"Let's get you home," he said gently, his eyes smiling down at me. Ginny latched onto my hand and held it tightly. Ron cursed at my stupidity, and the twins jumped on him for using such language in front of ladies. I gave a weak laugh but that's all I could do before I slumped forward in a faint.

When I opened my eyes again I was lying on the Weasleys' couch in front of their fireplace, completely covered in blankets. I started to sit up when I realized where I was, before I discovered that I was wearing nothing but my knickers. Flushing deeply, I quickly sank into the blankets and blinked owlishly around me.

Mrs. Weasley came up to me when she found I was awake. "How are you, dearie?" She asked. "A bit peaky?"

I realized my stomach was growling and so I nodded. When I did I felt a strange weight on my head. Reaching up I touched a bandage encircling my head.

"You had a nasty cut on your head," Mrs. Weasley told me. "But don't worry now, it's all fixed. You just have some nasty bruises now."

I sat up slightly. "Where are my clothes?" I asked, looking around.

"Oh my, shame on me. You must get dressed quickly before the boys get home. Come quickly." She gestured for me to get up and follow her, and I did so awkward, holding a blanket around myself. She led me up to Ginny's room where she lengthened a few articles of the Weasley girl's clothing and gave them to me to put on. Once I was safely in a pair of jeans and a sweater, I ventured downstairs, my stomach growling the entire way down.

I entered the kitchen and instantly the conversation froze. I looked from Fred to George to Ginny to Mr. Weasley, and then hurried past to the refrigerator. As I got out something in a pan that had my name on it, I heard someone clear his throat. When I turned back around, only Fred and George stood in the room. They were wearing identical frowns. I grimaced.

"What?" I asked, even though I was sure I knew what they were going to say.

"What were you thinking? Running off into the woods like that! With a storm coming on as well! Are you bloody mad?!" George spouted off first. I flinched at his words, but kept my expression mostly impassive. I turned to Fred who was looking more hurt than angry.

"Were you really that angry at us? That you had to run away like that?"

I bit my lip and stared at the floor. I hesitated, then put the pan down and ran over to the twins, throwing my arms around them both as best I could.

"I'm sorry," I told them, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have worried you like that."

"No, you shouldn't have," George muttered.

"But it's alright. We forgive you, Angie, on one condition." I looked up at Fred. His eyes were twinkling with mischief and I felt suddenly wary.

"What?" I asked carefully, taking a cautious step back.

"Only a kiss will make it better," he said, and offered his face to me. I laughed slightly and leaned up to give him a small peck on the cheek. George leaned forward eagerly and I gave him one too.

"Forgive me?" I asked, semi-weakly. The boys exchanged a glance and pretended to think. I rolled my eyes.

"We forgive you," they said finally in unison. I grinned slightly.

"Thanks."

They each took one of my arms and led me into the living room. "Now, tell us all about your summer and this past semester," Fred said, setting me down on the couch and sitting next to me. "We want to hear all about it."

George sat down on my other side and watched me intensely. I smiled at the attention and took a breath, before diving into everything that I had gone through that summer and school semester. The only part I left out was the fact that Draco Malfoy had become a Death Eater.

They were the perfect confidantes. They murmured sympathetically when I told of my nightmares. They hissed angrily at Draco's reaction to my breaking up with him. They laughed aloud at Professor Slughorn's ridiculous "Slug Club" (which, by the way, I never became a part of, only heard about).

Sitting there with them, talking and laughing with them, reminded me of the mental circle I had drawn around me and my friends back in my Sixth Year at Hogwarts. That circle had broken when Fred and George had seemingly abandoned me, but now it felt full and whole again. More so than ever. The pain that ached in my chest when I thought of losing Mum did not feel so strong when I was here with them. I determined then to make sure that I always let the circle be unbroken.

* * *

**Once I started, it just kept going, lol! I hope you enjoyed it. Review and tell me what you think! XD**


End file.
